Experimental Investigation of Thermal and Pressure Performance in Computer Cooling Systems Using Different Types of Nanofluids

Abstract

A modern computer generates a great amount of heat while working. In order to secure appropriate working conditions by extracting the heat, a specific mechanism should be used. This research paper presents the effect of nanofluids on the microchannel heat sink performance of computer cooling systems experimentally. CeO2, Al2O3 and ZrO2 nanoparticles suspended in 20% ethylene glycol and 80% distilled water are used as working fluids in the experiment. The concentration of the nanoparticles ranges from 0.5% to 2%, mass flow rate ranges from 0.028 kg/s to 0.084 kg/s, and the ambient temperature ranges from 25 °C to 40 °C. Regarding the thermal component, parameters such as thermophysical properties of the nanofluids and base fluids, central processing unit (CPU) temperature, heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and pumping power have been experimentally investigated. The results show that CeO2-EG/DW, at a concentration of 2% and a mass flow rate of 0.084 kg/s, has with 8% a lower temperature than the other nanofluids and with 29% a higher heat transfer coefficient compared with the base fluid. The Al2O3-EG/DW shows the lowest pressure drop and pumping power, while the CeO2-EG/DW and ZrO2-EG/DW show the highest. However, a slight increase of pumping power and pressure drop can be accepted, considering the high improvement that the nanofluid brings in computer cooling performance compared to the base fluid.

A Comparison of Empirical Correlations of Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity of Water-Ethylene Glycol-Al2O3 Nanofluids

“…Other important uses of EG or EG/water mixtures include heat transfer fluids used as industrial coolants for gas compressors, building heating in the sub-arctic and arctic regions, ventilation and ice skating rinks [10,11]. Pure EG is almost an electrical insulator, therefore it can be used as a coolant in electronic systems [9,57]. However, the resistivity of the EG solution decreases with increasing water content.…”

“…The final CPU temperature is reduced by~22% when using CNT in EG/water (30:70 by volume) nanofluid. Recently, Alfaryjat et al [9] tested EG/water (20:80 by volume) mixture as a base fluid with dispersed CeO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 nanoparticles as a cooling medium in a microchannel heat sink. An increase in the heat transfer coefficient up to 29% was observed compared with the base fluid.…”

A Benchmark Evaluation of the isoAdvection Interface Description Method for Thermally–Driven Phase Change Simulation

“…Flow boiling is an effective cooling method because the formation of bubbles may remove a significant amount of energy while simultaneously driving the flow due to the density differential. Additionally, the concept of utilizing metallic nanoparticles to enhance the thermal characteristics of liquids was pioneered by Choi and Eastman [ 3 ] and has since been the topic of several experimental [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ] and numerical [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] studies. Thus, devices that use flow boiling of nanofluids must be capable of absorbing a large amount of heat while also maintaining a uniform temperature distribution across the device.…”

Numerical Investigation of Various Twisted Tapes Enhancing a Circular Microchannel Heat Sink Performance

“…Many micro-devices, such biomedical and micro-electronic circuits, chemical reactors, and micro-electro-mechanical systems, produce heat as they operate (Alfaryjat et al, 2019). Therefore, suitable cooling processes are essential to running these micro-devices.…”